The Lightning Thief || Percy Jackson x Reader

06 | orientation and pinochle

"Where are you going?" Y/N asked, running to catch up to her friend.

Grover slowed to a stop for her. "I'm, uh, going back down to look for some sort of spoil of war from the Minotaur."

It was only the next morning since she'd been down there fighting the monster with Percy. It was hardly considered early in the day, but Y/N was already tired. She probably wouldn't recommend staying up late to kill monsters with your best friends.

Y/N halted next to him at Thalia's pine tree. "Aren't we supposed to stay within camp borders?"

"Well—"

"I'm only kidding. I'm not the fun police," she said, stepping outside of the property.

Grover followed behind. The heavy rain made the grass and mud slick as Y/N's shoes quickly got covered in the sludge. A few times, she'd lost balance and had to run into a tree to keep from fully face planting. The good news was the rain had washed away the monster dust and the gods awful smell. What was left now was the air of fresh rain.

"Hey, are you okay?" Y/N asked after a moment.

Grover sighed. "I... I'm in huge trouble, because I completely messed up with you and Percy."

She touched his arm, stopping both of them to make sure he was listening to her. "No, you didn't. We both made it to camp. What happened to Mrs. Jackson wasn't your fault, okay?"

Grover looked down, unconvinced. "But it was my responsibility, and..." he gazed mournfullyat the pine tree. "I've already messed up before..."

"Look, everyone makes choices for those they love. That was her decision to help the three of us get there safely. You don't have control of the amount of love someone has for someone else. I didn't even know her, but I know she didn't sacrifice her life so we could feel miserably guilty about it. She did it so Percy—and all of us— could have a chance at life."

Grover's eyes welled up with tears, and he suddenly grabbed Y/N's shoulders and wrapped his arms around her. "You're the most amazing friend. Thank you."

She laughed tearily. "Thank you."

He squeezed her one last time before letting her go and stepping away. "Okay, let's find that spoil now."

"Alrighty. Come on," she pulled him down the hill to where she remembered Percy had stabbed the Minotaur. "I think it was this way."

___

In the two fleeting days Percy Jackson was unconscious, Y/N got into a fine new routine at Camp Half Blood. Contrary to popular opinion, she rather liked routines. It provided stability, which was something she missed. Furthermore, being around so many different people and creatures all linked to Greek mythology made her feel like she was back at home.

Annabeth was busy for most of the two days. Y/N quickly learned that Annabeth was special to Chiron. He treated her like an extension of family, and a substantial fraction of the daughter of Athena's time was spent in meetings with Chiron about things Y/N wished she could be clued into.

Between pretending to be a beginner at sword fighting and archery, Y/N spent most of the day hanging out with Grover, wether it be checking up on Percy or wandering around the strawberry fields as he sulked over Percy. Other times, the satyr would be in the woods of camp, and Y/N would spend her time alone, reading or napping the rest of the day away or simply worrying for her best friend, who had yet to recover.

Y/N and Grover were chatting on the porch where Percy had been moved to for fresh air, Grover leaning against the porch railing and Y/N sitting atop the railing, holding onto one of the wooden posts to keep herself from falling backwards.